The ultimate independent experience taking in Saigon and the Temples of Angkor – Stay in our Travellers Hut select hotels – M-Gallery Des Arts in Saigon and Sala Lodges in Siem Reap. Enjoy exclusively created experiences and fabulous meals during you luxury exploration.
DAY 1 – Arrival Saigon
Arrival to Sai Gon international airport, Diplomatic Fast track service through immigration; meet and greet with your English speaking tour guide and transfer to the hotel. Check in to your hotel (check in time: 14:00 onwards).
Ho Chi Minh City, also known as Saigon, is the largest city in Vietnam and serves as the economic, cultural, and commercial hub of the country. It’s a dynamic and bustling metropolis located in the southern part of Vietnam, along the banks of the Saigon River. Ho Chi Minh City is a melting pot of cultures and influences. It’s a place where the old and the new coexist. You’ll find modern skyscrapers next to historic temples and markets. The city has a vibrant arts scene, with numerous theaters, galleries, and cultural centers.
Overnight in Saigon – M Gallery Des Arts – Deluxe room
DAY 2 – Hoa Tuc Cooking – AO Show – Cuch Gach dinner – Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
In the morning, start the Market tour following by the Cooking class at Hoa Tuc school.
Market visit from 7am
Follow our Chef through the vibrant Tan Dinh market to purchase a selection of ingredients for your cooking lesson. At 9:50 am our Chef will bring you back by Taxi to our cooking class.
Hands-on Cooking Class
Take place around our large cooking station to follow our Chef step by step with your own material and ingredients for a good understanding of cooking techniques.
You will discover Vietnamese kitchenware to cook and enjoy a tasty 3 courses meal. MSG, Knorr powder and enhance flavors are of course forbidden!
In late afternoon, enjoy the “A O” show at the Opera house.
The “A O Show” is a contemporary Vietnamese performance that combines elements of theater, dance, circus arts, and traditional Vietnamese music. This unique and visually stunning show is known for its artistic creativity and has gained international acclaim for its innovative approach to storytelling and entertainment.
07:00 pm: transfer to “Cuc Gach Quan” for welcome to Vietnam dinner.
Overnight in Saigon – M Gallery Des Arts – Deluxe room
DAY 3 – Vespa tour – Noir restaurant – Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
In the morning, start the Vespa tour (TH version with local breakfast at Pho Ngoc and Banh Xeo lunch). or take the alternate Saigon morning via 2CV open top vehicle (Lunch not included)
‘Discover the hidden gems of Saigon’
Experience the excitement of modern day Ho Chi Minh City riding pillion on our vintage Vespas. Get off the crowded tourist trail to visit some fascinating places and sites than you could never find on your own.
Vesa tour includes – Morning Coffee or tea at the Bird Cafe – Travellers Hut exclusive Pho with the locals (Pho Ngoc) – visit the Temple of one thousand Buddha – Stroll through the local Saigon Flower Market – See the Reunification Palace with a stop to rest with a coffee or cooling drink (included) – Enjoy a delicious Banh Xeo (Vietnamese Pancake) lunch .
Free time in the afternoon.
This evening you will have your senses invigorated and Experience “Dining in the dark” at “Noir” restaurant.
Of the five senses, sight dominates. Take away sight, and our other senses emerge to interpret the world from another perspective. Smell becomes more subtle. Taste becomes more acute . Hearing becomes more sensitive. Touch becomes more delicate. invite you to experience a culinary journey through taste, smell, touch and sound. This is not simply dining, but rather a uniquely mind-altering experience where smell, taste, touch and hearing unite to bring you a completely new journey of the senses.
Overnight in Saigon – M Gallery Des Arts – Deluxe room
DAY 4 – Fly from Saigon Vietnam to Siem Reap Cambodia – Breakfast
Breakfast at the hotel and free time for your relax or own discovery of the city. Check out & transfer to Tan Son Nhat airport for flight to Siem Reap. The Temples of Angkor await…
Arrive in Siem Reap Angkor International Airport (SAI) meet with the airport assistance for VIP immigration service Including Visa you will be escort through customs and then to you to meet with the local guide who will be waiting to greet you and be transfer to your hotel for check in. The small but expanding town of Siem Reap is the gateway to Angkor. This is the most popular destination for travellers in all of Cambodia, perhaps even in South-East Asia.
Overnight in Siem Reap – Sala Lodges
DAY 5 – Angkor highlights with tethered Balloon and Phare Circus – Breakfast, Dinner
Rise before the sun come up and enjoy a marvellous experience in sunrise at Angkor Wat.
Enjoy your breakfast in a Khmer house that was once the residence of a French anthropologist. Today, this traditional wooden house built on stilts also serves as a relaxing and cultural stage. The house was built in 1996 according to traditional construction codes contained in old manuscripts now mostly transmitted verbally.
Following breakfast you will visit Angkor Thom temple, which is the former capital of the Khmer Empire, Angkor Thom, translates to “Great City”. Under the reign of King Jayavarman VII the city was established as the capital in the late 12th century. The city covers an area of 9km² in which numerous breath-taking monuments were built. The city itself is accessible through gates at the northern, southern, western and eastern end. The centerpiece of the city is the Bayon temple is most distinctive features are the 216 serene stone faces that seemingly face all directions. The Baphuon and Phimeanakas are structures built in the 11th and 10th century respectively and both were built in the pyramid style.
Continue to ride on a tethered helium balloon flying up 100 meters where you enjoy a very quiet and peaceful atmosphere. It gives you the lovely bird’s eye view of Angkor Wat, Phnom Bakheng hill, Western Baray, also surrounding area of jungle and rice fields glimmering in the best late afternoon. (Note: Fly subjects to the weather condition. It is sharing basic)
Afternoon free
You will have an early dinner at The Spoon restaurant before continuing to Phare Ponleu Selpak is a social centre and arts school.
The organization offers Cambodian youth a way out of poverty through arts. One of these projects is the Circus. Transfer at 7PM to the circus tent and enjoy a stroll over the terrain to read and learn more about the projects. At 7:45PM the show starts and will entertain you for an hour with comedy and acrobatic acts performed by the local youth. An entertaining evening is guaranteed and afterwards you can meet and chat with the wonderful young people of the show and learn more about their backgrounds. (Note: Phare Ponleu Selpak with Seat B)
Overnight in Siem Reap – Sala Lodges
DAY 6 – Temple Discovery & Taste of Siem Reap – Breakfast, Dinner
After breakfast at the hotel, continue to visit Ta Prohm, which is considered to be the most photographed temple within the Angkor complex. Constructed in the Bayon style between the late 12th and early 13th century, Ta Prohm was left pretty much untouched by archaeologists. The trees that grow out of the ruins allow for a mysterious feeling filled with photogenic opportunities. King Jayavarman VII constructed the temple as a Mahayana Buddhist monastery and university, and it is estimated that close to 80.000 people resided at the temple.
You will visit one of the jewels in the Angkor area, Banteay Srei, which dates back to the late 10th century. The enchanting temple is nearly everyone’s favourite site. The special charm of this temple lies in its remarkable state of preservation, small size and excellence of decoration. It was built by a Brahmin of royal descent who was a spiritual teacher to Jayavarman V, which is unique as this makes Banteay Srei the only major temple built by a non-King. A special feature of the exquisite decoration was the use of hard pink sandstone. Next, we will visit a nearby village where local women will teach us how to prepare the traditional Khmer dessert “cake steamed palm” by using ancestral techniques passed down from generation to generation.
Afternoon free
This evening at 06:00pm you will be picked up by Tuk Tuk to explore the Fine Dinning Siem Reap Food Tour. Your dine around dinner will take place at three of Siem Reaps best restaurants and transferred between them by Tuk Tuk. You will receive 1 drink at each location, starter at Mahob, main course at The Sugar Palm and dessert at Malis. (Tour not available on Monday).
Overnight in Siem Reap – Sala Lodges
DAY 7 – Tonle Sap Lake and Departure – Breakfast
This morning, drive south of Siem Reap towards the Tonle Sap and board a local boat at the port to visit floating village. The floating village reminds people of scenes in the Mekong Delta. Observe families of fishermen setting fish traps and laying nets, school children making their way to or from school in small rowing boats and small business owners selling their goods from one floating house.
Say goodbye to the villagers and head back to the hotel for packing your luggage before our guide and driver transfer you to the airport for your departure flight by.
CITIES and TEMPLES – Saigon and Siem Reap – INCLUSIONS
Cost from $ 3132 per person twin share (Low Season)
Saigon Diplomatic Fast Track Immigration service
M-Gallery Des Arts Saigon – Deluxe room 3 nights
Market tour and Hoa Tuc Cooking Class
AO Bamboo Show
Dinner at Cuc Gach Quan
Vespa Saigon Tour (Travellers Hut Version including PhoA and Lunch)
NOIR dining in the dark dinner
VIP immigration Service with Cambodian Visa
Angkor Highlights experience
Tethered Balloon above Angkor
Dinner at Spoons Restaurant
Temple Discovery morning
Taste of Siem Reap Tuk Tik Dine around Dinner
Tonle Sap Lake tour
Breakfast daily
All transfers
English speaking Guides in Vietnam and Cambodia
Contact Glenn at The Travellers Hut for details on our Exclusive Vietnam Journeys
Telephone: (02) 43 63 1699